James and Mau architecture - El Tiemblo, Spain, Shipping Container Home

James & Mau architecture - El Tiemblo, Spain, Shipping Container Home

James & Mau architecture studio has come up with yet another eye-catching shipping container home, this time in a modern L-shape. Using four sea shipping containers, the home is situated in the Spanish town of El Tiemblo and uses biomass energy. 70% of its total materials -- including the insulation -- were either recycled or reused materials.

http://www.jamesandmau.com/inicio.php

Studio HT - Shipping Container House - Colorado

Studio HT  - Shipping Container House - Colorado
This project questions the need for excessive space and challenges occupants to be efficient. Two shipping containers saddlebag a taller common space that connects local rock outcroppings to the expansive mountain ridge views. The containers house sleeping and work functions while the center space provides entry, dining, living and a loft above. The loft deck invites easy camping as the platform bed rolls between interior and exterior. The project is planned to be off-the-grid using solar orientation, passive cooling, green roofs, pellet stove heating and photovoltaics to create electricity.

http://www.studioht.com

HyBrid Architecture - Container Guest House - Wallingford, Seattle

HyBrid Architecture  - Container Guest House - Wallingford, Seattle

HyBrid Architecture boasts that its "Cargotecture" homes are efficient, modular, relocatable and adaptable to different sites. The homes range from 160 to 1,200 square feet. The list price for the "c192 Nomad," which Patrikios bought, is $59,500, plus around $10,000 for delivery to and installation on a straightforward site.

http://www.cargotecture.com/

MW Bender - Container Guest House - Gainesville, FL

MW Bender - Container Guest House - Gainesville, FL
A 45 foot shipping container cut in half reinforced and joined side on to create a very nice guest house.
Follow the completion at
http://mwbender.com/

Is This The Best Bug Out Shelter?

What about the idea of using shipping containers as a retreat or “bug out shelter?”

As it turns out, shipping containers offer some distinct advantages in being used for this kind of housing.

First of all, the containers themselves are comparatively inexpensive, when compared to many other building blocks you can use.

They also provide a handful of advantages as a result of their durability. Because shipping containers are made to be stacked and make trans-oceanic voyages, they can certainly withstand a good deal of abuse. This is extremely important for people looking to have a container home shelter as a “getaway spot.”

My friend Dan recently put together a pretty cool guide for people considering the idea. His guide on using shipping containers as bug out shelters walks people through a series of questions that need to be asked (and answered!) before undertaking a project like this. Building locations, financing, foundations, and much more.

If interested, check out his guide here.